Health Information Management

FBI recovers VA laptop

HIPAA Weekly Advisor, July 3, 2006

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recovered the laptop at the center of a Veterans Affairs (VA) data breach that had put more than 26 million veterans at risk of identity theft.

"A preliminary review of the equipment by computer forensic teams determined that the database remains intact and has not been accessed since it was stolen," the agency announced in a release. The FBI is currently conducting a more thorough forensic examination.

On Wednesday, an unidentified person turned the laptop over to FBI agents in Baltimore, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore FBI field office told the Associated Press (AP). The FBI does not believe that this person is the original thief.

The investigation has also revealed that the employee who took the laptop home may have had permission, contrary to earlier reports, according to the AP.

Click here to read the AP article.



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